Friday, January 7, 2011

Shell shock: The lemurs assess the situation as the turtle blocks the bridge

What do you get when you cross a lemur with a turtle? A leap-frog.

These hungry jokers faced something of a dilemma when they encountered the slow-moving turtle blocking the bridge leading to their feeding den.

Each of the fluffy ring-tailed lemurs tentatively approached the turtle before turning back - unsure how to negotiate the obstacle.

High-tailing it: One of the lemurs gets up close as the turtle makes a U-turn to scare him away

Then, after gathering in a huddle to discuss their options, the one with the most courage broke away from the group and made a flying leap.

Following his brave lead, the others all followed - with the bemused turtle turning its neck to watch.

Local photographer Cindy Bendush, 52, snapped the 'mission' at Indianapolis Zoo in Indiana, United States.

She said: 'The lemur exhibit contains about a dozen lemurs, a variety of birds and a few turtles. It is one of the most entertaining exhibits at the zoo.

Over the top: The lemur shows his courage and decides to make the jump

'The turtle was blocking the bridge that leads to the lemurs' indoor habitat. I started taking shots and within minutes one of the lemurs strolled about half way out towards the turtle, stopped and turned around.

'Upon returning to the island, a group of five or six began to gather. They seemed to be having a debate about how to handle the turtle and whether or not to cross the bridge.

High flyer: That wasn't so bad after all as the lemur prepares to land

'Singly or in a small group they ventured out and back several times before one of them decided to jump. Once one started jumping, several others joined in.

'The lemurs certainly did not want to touch the turtle and not one harassed it in the least.

'They were wary but possibly making a game of it. I doubt this was the first time the turtles and lemurs have squared-off.

In fact he quite enjoyed it... and jumped back the other way

'They were still jumping back and forth when we left - Mr Turtle stood his ground.'

Cindy added: 'It was entertaining - even comical - to watch them problem solve and go about working up the courage to start jumping as a means to cross the bridge.

'It was almost as if they were daring each other to make the first jump.'